Black and Tan Coonhound

Blue would have never made a good house pet. His need for physical exercise and his inherent gift of smell drives him to the great outdoors to do what he loves best: chase raccoons up trees. I keep Blue close to the house, because once a scent enters his nostrils he's determined to chase it down, especially if it's the smell of a coon.

As far as tracking goes, there's not a more dependable dog than Blue. He's never lost a scent and has never failed to get the coon up into a tree and to keep him there. He's got a tremendous amount of stamina and determination and truly enjoys his work. I swear, sometimes I can see Blue smiling with pleasure after he's treed a coon.

Over the years, Blue has proved himself very capable of being an excellent watchdog; he can pick up the scent of a stranger up to a quarter mile down the road, which is plenty of time for me to load the shotgun. And he's not aggressive enough to be a real danger to a person's being, just a great early-warning-system.

As the children grew older, Blue grew to be a much better companion for them than when they were small. Maybe he just didn't like the scent of what the young'uns were leaving behind. Whatever the reason, he was much more willing to run after them once they grew up a bit.

You may be wondering why I call Blue by that name since he is all black and tan without a speck of blue on him anywhere. Well, he got his name the first time I ever heard him howl. It was such a woeful sound that I was sure he was showing just how sad he was feeling. I came to know that when Blue's not hunting, he's just about as blue as anyone could be.